Fred Phelps: Difference between revisions

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''"God hates fags! God hates America! Thank God for dead soldiers! You're going to hell!"'' - Fred Phelps.---=-dee

'''Fred Waldron Phelps, Sr. '''(born November 13, 1929) is a disbarred lawyer ~~who is~~ the founder and pastor of the [[Westboro Baptist Church]], an Independent Primitive Baptist church in Topeka, Kansas, that is known for its extreme antagonism towards many factions of society, most notably homosexuals and gay-rights activists. The church uses hate slogans on their picket signs such as "God Hates Fags", "Thank God for Dead Soldiers" and "America is Doomed". The Westboro Baptist Church is comprised mainly of Fred Phelps' large extended family, and although tiny in number the group is infamous throughout America and regularly receives mainstream media attention for their audacity and the sheer degree of their hatefulness. Members are brainwashed from childhood to support Phelps' agenda and spread his dogmatic beliefs in a manner that can be considered fanatical at best and criminally insane at worst. ~~It was said that Phelps was~~ excommunicated from the church ~~citing poor health~~.

'''Fred Waldron Phelps, Sr. '''(born November 13, 1929) is a disbarred lawyer and the founder and pastor of the [[Westboro Baptist Church]], an Independent Primitive Baptist church in Topeka, Kansas, that is known for its extreme antagonism towards many factions of society, most notably homosexuals and gay-rights activists. The church uses hate slogans on their picket signs such as "God Hates Fags", "Thank God for Dead Soldiers" and "America is Doomed". The Westboro Baptist Church is comprised mainly of Fred Phelps' large extended family, and although tiny in number the group is infamous throughout America and regularly receives mainstream media attention for their audacity and the sheer degree of their hatefulness. Members are brainwashed from childhood to support Phelps' agenda and spread his dogmatic beliefs in a manner that can be considered fanatical at best and criminally insane at worst. As of March 2014, he is excommunicated from the church and reportedly near death.

==Biography==

===Early Life 1929-1947===

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Phelps and the WBC began pickting around 1991, in order combat homosexual activities at Gage Park. Although the protests started out small, and gained little attention, the church soon began gaining attention nationwide, the most notable event being the funeral protest of Matthew Shepard in 1998. Around 2003, the WBC began to protest the funerals of soilder killed in Iraq and Afganastan, claiming that they died for a doomed nation. Several laws were soon made to restrain the church protests. While not banning them from picketing, the laws passed made member keep a large distance from the funeral.

The church continues to hold daily pickets, but Phelps however has grown absent from them, mostly due his old age and health issues in his younger years. In recent years the church has shown signs of falling apart, due to fact that several members, mostly younger ones, have either left or were kicked out, a lawsuit that made international news around 2006, that was soon brought to the Supreme Court and other factors, such as Phelps' old age may contribute to the falling apart. On March 16th, 2014, it was confirmed by Phelps' estrangend son Nathan in a Facebook post that ~~he's~~ father is poor health, stating that he is on the "edge of death", and is currently in a hospice in Topeka. It was later officaly confirmed by church spokesman Steve Drain that the reports are true. Nathan also stated that his father was ~~ex-communicated~~ from the church in August 2013.

The church continues to hold daily pickets, but Phelps however has grown absent from them, mostly due his old age and health issues in his younger years. In recent years the church has shown signs of falling apart, due to fact that several members, mostly younger ones, have either left or were kicked out, a lawsuit that made international news around 2006, that was soon brought to the Supreme Court and other factors, such as Phelps' old age may contribute to the falling apart. On March 16th, 2014, it was confirmed by Phelps' estrangend son Nathan in a Facebook post that his father is poor health, stating that he is on the "edge of death", and is currently in a hospice in Topeka. It was later officaly confirmed by church spokesman Steve Drain that the reports are true. Nathan also stated that his father was excommunicated from the church in August 2013.

==Beliefs==

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 ''"God hates fags! God hates America! Thank God for dead soldiers! You're going to hell!"'' - Fred Phelps.<span style="display: none;">---=-dee </span><span id="cke_bm_166E" style="display: none;"> </span><span style="display: none;"> </span><span id="cke_bm_166S" style="display: none;"> </span>
-'''Fred Waldron Phelps, Sr. '''(born November 13, 1929) is a disbarred lawyer who is the founder and pastor of the [[Westboro Baptist Church]], an Independent Primitive Baptist church in Topeka, Kansas, that is known for its extreme antagonism towards many factions of society, most notably homosexuals and gay-rights activists. The church uses hate slogans on their picket signs such as "God Hates Fags", "Thank God for Dead Soldiers" and "America is Doomed". The Westboro Baptist Church is comprised mainly of Fred Phelps' large extended family, and although tiny in number the group is infamous throughout America and regularly receives mainstream media attention for their audacity and the sheer degree of their hatefulness. Members are brainwashed from childhood to support Phelps' agenda and spread his dogmatic beliefs in a manner that can be considered fanatical at best and criminally insane at worst. It was said that Phelps was excommunicated from the church citing poor health.
+'''Fred Waldron Phelps, Sr. '''(born November 13, 1929) is a disbarred lawyer and the founder and pastor of the [[Westboro Baptist Church]], an Independent Primitive Baptist church in Topeka, Kansas, that is known for its extreme antagonism towards many factions of society, most notably homosexuals and gay-rights activists. The church uses hate slogans on their picket signs such as "God Hates Fags", "Thank God for Dead Soldiers" and "America is Doomed". The Westboro Baptist Church is comprised mainly of Fred Phelps' large extended family, and although tiny in number the group is infamous throughout America and regularly receives mainstream media attention for their audacity and the sheer degree of their hatefulness. Members are brainwashed from childhood to support Phelps' agenda and spread his dogmatic beliefs in a manner that can be considered fanatical at best and criminally insane at worst. As of March 2014, he is excommunicated from the church and reportedly near death.
 ==Biography==
 ===Early Life 1929-1947===
@@ Line 43: / Line 43: @@
 Phelps and the WBC began pickting around 1991, in order combat homosexual activities at Gage Park. Although the protests started out small, and gained little attention, the church soon began gaining attention nationwide, the most notable event being the funeral protest of Matthew Shepard in 1998. Around 2003, the WBC began to protest the funerals of soilder killed in Iraq and Afganastan, claiming that they died for a doomed nation. Several laws were soon made to restrain the church protests. While not banning them from picketing, the laws passed made member keep a large distance from the funeral.
-The church continues to hold daily pickets, but Phelps however has grown absent from them, mostly due his old age and health issues in his younger years. In recent years the church has shown signs of falling apart, due to fact that  several members, mostly younger ones, have either left or were kicked out, a lawsuit that made international news around 2006, that was soon brought to the Supreme Court and other factors, such as Phelps' old age may contribute to the falling apart. On March 16th, 2014, it was confirmed by Phelps' estrangend son Nathan in a Facebook post that he's father is poor health, stating that he is on the "edge of death", and is currently in a hospice in Topeka. It was later officaly confirmed by church spokesman Steve Drain that the reports are true. Nathan also stated that his father was ex-communicated from the church in August 2013.
+The church continues to hold daily pickets, but Phelps however has grown absent from them, mostly due his old age and health issues in his younger years. In recent years the church has shown signs of falling apart, due to fact that  several members, mostly younger ones, have either left or were kicked out, a lawsuit that made international news around 2006, that was soon brought to the Supreme Court and other factors, such as Phelps' old age may contribute to the falling apart. On March 16th, 2014, it was confirmed by Phelps' estrangend son Nathan in a Facebook post that his father is poor health, stating that he is on the "edge of death", and is currently in a hospice in Topeka. It was later officaly confirmed by church spokesman Steve Drain that the reports are true. Nathan also stated that his father was excommunicated from the church in August 2013.
 ==Beliefs==